Melrose Students Recognized by French Embassy and Government of Quebec
The French Embassy in the United States and the Quebec Government Office in New York hosted a series of school contests to celebrate Quebec’s 400th anniversary and to honor the famous French explorers of North America. Students created paintings, maps, sculptures, models, dioramas, oral reports, and songs to celebrate the accomplishments of Jacques Cartier, Samuel de Champlain and Robert LaSalle.
All Tri-state students (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut) from grades K to 8 were eligible to participate. Of the 1500 projects entered, 250 entries were pre-selected by teachers and sent to the French Embassy. Fifty finalists were chosen to attend an award ceremony on November 14th at the Lilian Weber School for the Arts in Manhattan. One weekend trip to Quebec City, four $500 scholarships, and 45 “souvenir bag” of gifts from France were awarded.
Congratulations to Melrose students Neil Badlani, Michael Burns, Christopher Flamio, Isabella Vieira and Clara Zander who were among the fifty finalists invited to Manhattan for the awards ceremony. A very special acknowledgement goes to Isabella Vieira for winning the grand prize in her category (Grade 4 – 6). This makes an unprecedented three years in a row that a Melrose student has won a grand prize!
Thank you to Madames Mitchell and Dressler for coordinating the opportunity for our students to participate in this prestigious event. In addition, we thank them for providing the outstanding foundation and exposure to the French language that enables our students to earn these awards.
